Vice Media Says Refinery29 Editor to Exit After Backlash
WWD: Christene Barberich, the cofounder and global editor in chief of Refinery29, has stepped down. The move comes just days after a number of women of color took to Twitter to share their negative experiences of working at the...
Conde Nast Editor Steps Down Following Offensive Photo
Associated Press: Adam Rapoport, the editor-in-chief of Bon Appetit, resigned after a photo of him dressed in a stereotypical Puerto Rican costume surfaced on social media. Staffers at the magazine had criticized him after the photo circulated on...
Report: 1,000+ Book Publishing Pros Strike Over Racism
Vulture: The publishing industry took a stand against racism Monday by striking, donating money, and serving the black community. Over 1,300 workers committed to taking the day off and using it to protest and "work only on books by Black...
Gannett Rejects Proposal for Annual Journalism Report
USA Today: A proposal for Gannett to create an annual report detailing its commitment to news failed to win the support of investors. The board said it was "concerned that the expense to produce the proposed journalism report would not be...
IAC Rolls Out Bold Homepage Redesign at Daily Beast
MediaPost: The Daily Beast has redesigned its homepage, with new, static sections and a bolder structure and visuals. The Daily Beast team said it found that users who use the homepage have the highest conversion rate to paid...
Maven Media Adds Tesla Daily to Help Boost TheStreet
MediaPost: Podcast and video brand Tesla Daily has joined Maven’s platform and will provide updates, reporting and analysis about the car company. Tesla Daily, which will be available via TheStreet, reports more than 1 million monthly...
G/O Media Predicts Profits Despite Big Traffic Declines
Business Insider: G/O Media has been battered by financial losses, an employee exodus, lawsuits, and a revolt against the CEO. But CEO Jim Spanfeller said that he foresees the company becoming "nicely profitable" by the end of the year....
Axios Gives Green Light to Journalists Joining Protests
New York Times: The head of Axios said in a memo that the company would support staff members who take part in public protests, a shift from the stance journalists normally adopt to avoid the appearance of...
The Information Hires Media Reporter After Flap at FT
Talking Biz News: The Information has hired the Financial Times's Mark Di Stefano and Wired's Paris Martineau. Di Stefano resigned last month from the FT after he was accused by the Independent of listening in on sensitive Zoom meetings....
Netflix Looks Abroad as California OKs Film, TV Shoots
Los Angeles Times: California will allow film and television shoots to resume as soon as Friday, marking a major step toward reviving the entertainment business after the coronavirus outbreak crippled it nearly three months...
Disney Pushes Hulu, Disney Plus in Pitch to Ad Buyers
Deadline: Disney, which barely a year ago took full control of Hulu and seven months ago launched Disney+, made both streaming services key parts of its presentation to ad buyers: "Disney is a leader with connecting Generation Family with Generation...
AT&T’s HBO Max to Remove Guns from ‘Looney Tunes’
The Hill: Elmer Fudd won't hunt Bugs Bunny with a gun in the new "Looney Tunes Cartoons" series on streaming service HBO Max. "We're not doing guns," said Peter Browngardt, the series executive producer. "But we can do cartoony violence — TNT, the Acme...
ViacomCBS Donates $5 Million to Social Justice Groups
Deadline: ViacomCBS has committed $5 million to social justice causes, set a virtual community day for June 18 and is preparing to announce new members of its combined global inclusion advisory committee, said CEO Bob Bakish in a memo to...
Comcast’s NBC Hit with Racism Complaint from Actress
Daily Beast: Actress Gabrielle Union has referenced the cases of Jimmy Fallon, Al Roker, Ted Danson, and her former "America's Got Talent" fellow judge Julianne Hough in a harassment complaint filed against NBC and Simon...
Fox Corp Apologizes for News Graphic of Black Killings
USA Today: Fox News apologized after showing an infographic on-air that depicts the stock market's reaction to high-profile killings of black men including the recent death of George Floyd. "We apologize for the insensitivity," said a Fox News...
BBC Names New Director General, Aims to Stir Change
BBC: Tim Davie, one of the most senior executives at the BBC, has been named the broadcaster's new director general. Davie has been promoted from CEO of BBC Studios, the commercial subsidiary that makes programs and sells them...
Google Taps Obamas for Virtual Graduation on YouTube
Associated Press: President Obama with his wife, Michelle, delivered speeches during YouTube’s “Dear Class of 2020” virtual ceremony. The duo, along with a star-studded lineup including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Tom Brady, offered inspirational...
Amazon CEO Expresses Support for Black Lives Matter
Bloomberg: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos used an Instagram post to share an emailed response to a customer and express his support for the Black Lives Matter movement. "Black lives matter speaks to racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people...
Reddit Co-Founder Exits Board, Urges Black Successor
Reuters: Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian has resigned from the social network firm’s board and sought to be replaced by a black candidate. CEO Steve Huffman said the company would “honor” his request and is working to strengthen its content...
Facebook CEO-Funded Researchers Plea to Rein in Hate
Associated Press: Dozens of scientists doing research funded by Mark Zuckerberg say Facebook should not be letting President Trump use the social media platform to "spread both misinformation and incendiary...
News Corp Opinion Column Calls for Trump Resignation
Wall Street Journal: President Trump is "no longer the force he was and no longer lucky,” wrote Peggy Noonan, opinion columnist at the Wall Street Journal. Trump "should give an Oval Office address announcing he's leaving: 'America, you don’t deserve...
Tribune Reports $44 Million Loss Thanks to Coronavirus
Chicago Tribune: Tribune Publishing reported a $44 million first-quarter loss, due primarily to an accounting adjustment related to Covid-19. "The Covid-19 pandemic and the recent civil unrest are unprecedented in my lifetime," said CEO Terry...
New York Times Opinion Editor Quits After Staff Uproar
New York Times: James Bennet has resigned from his job as the editorial page editor of the New York Times, days after the newspaper’s opinion section published a much-criticized op-ed by a US senator calling for a military response to civic...
Philadelphia Inquirer Editor Resigns After Headline Flap
Philadelphia Inquirer: Stan Wischnowski, the top editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer, has resigned, days after discontent among the newspaper’s staff erupted over a headline on a column about the impact of the civil unrest following the police killing of George...
Vice Media, Meredith Among Media Accused of Racism
Business of Fashion: Employees of websites and magazines have turned to social media to criticize publishers for sending messages in support of the anti-racism movement, all the while allowing racism and discrimination within their own...
BuzzFeed Joins List of Media Facing Racism Allegations
CNN: Former BuzzFeed staffers have shared their experiences with what they said was discrimination at the digital media company. A BuzzFeed spokesperson said: "It's fair to say that we have made mistakes, and the best thing we can do now is listen, learn, and do...
Conde Nast CEO Warns Joining Unions Won’t Save Jobs
@maxwelltani: Conde Nast CEO Roger Lynch said the company will "begin the voluntary recognition process" for the Wired union. But in the same breath he argued that unions will not save jobs. "What will save jobs is an entrepreneurial spirit and willingness to be...
Maven Media Cuts Pay Amid Spat Over Pro-Police Blog
Daily Beast: Employees at Maven Media Brands, the digital-media publisher that owns outlets like Sports Illustrated, are calling upon the company to cut ties with Defense Maven, a Blue Lives Matter website in its...
Vox Media’s Furloughs Evolve Into Complete Departures
Awful Announcing: More of Vox Media's three-month furloughs have turned into complete departures. Two SB Nation staffers, who were both among the initial furloughs set to run through July 31, announced Friday that they're now leaving...
The Athletic Lays Off 46 Employees, Rolls Out Pay Cuts
Axios: The Athletic is laying off nearly 8% of staff, or 46 people, to help survive the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Like many sports media outlets, The Athletic has been particularly impacted by the loss of live...